Monsoon in India should be robust provided no El Nino surprise: Meteorological Department

India's monsoon, crucial for Asia's third-largest economy, is likely to be a robust and healthy one this year provided there isn't a surprise El Nino phenomenon, the top India Meteorological Department official said on Wednesday.

Monsoon rains, the lifeblood for India`s farm-dependent $2.6 trillion economy, arrive on the southern tip of Kerala state around June 1 and retreat from the desert state of Rajasthan by September.

India's 263 million farmers wait for monsoon rains to plant crops such as rice, cane, corn, cotton and soybean because nearly half of the country's farmland lacks irrigation. Farming output makes up just less than 14 per cent of India`s economy but the sector employs more than half of the country`s 1.3 billion population.

"It's really early to talk about the pattern that this year`s monsoon will follow, but we do know that practically no one is predicting a strong El Nino," K.J. Ramesh, director general of the state-run India Meteorological Department, told Reuters.

Plentiful monsoon rains could lift agricultural and wider economic growth and keep food prices and overall inflation subdued. That could also add to pressure on India`s central bank to cut interest rates.

On the downside, higher production could mean farmers continue to get hit by low crop prices, a major cause for concern in rural India in the past two years.

A strong El Nino, marked by a warming of the sea surface on the Pacific Ocean, can cause severe drought in Australia, Southeast Asia and India, while drenching other parts of the world such as the U.S. Midwest and Brazil in rains.

The emergence of a strong El Nino triggered back-to-back droughts in 2014 and 2015, only for the fourth time in over a century, driving some Indian farmers to penury and suicide.

The India Meteorological Department defines average, or normal, rainfall as between 96 percent and 104 percent of a 50-year average of 89 cm for the entire four-month season beginning in June.

In 2017 and 2018, rainfall was 9 per cent&nbsp;and 91 per cent of the long-term average respectively.

The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) phenomenon could also be a positive development, said Ramesh.

The IOD phenomenon is characterised by higher sea-surface temperatures in the Indian Ocean. A positive IOD creates a barrier in the eastern Indian Ocean and all the southwesterly winds blow towards the Indian sub-continent, causing rains in the country.

Weather officials say a positive IOD played a big role in bringing adequate rains to India in 1967, 1977, 1997 and 2006.

The India Meteorological Department is likely to make its first official forecast of this year`s monsoon rains by the middle of April.

India's monsoon, crucial for Asia's third-largest economy, is likely to be a robust and healthy one this year provided there isn't a surprise El Nino phenomenon, the top India Meteorological Department official said on Wednesday.

India's monsoon, crucial for Asia's third-largest economy, is likely to be a robust and healthy one this year provided there isn't a surprise El Nino phenomenon, the top India Meteorological Department official said on Wednesday. Monsoon rains, the lifeblood for India`s farm-dependent $2.6 trillion economy, arrive on the southern tip of Kerala state around June 1 and retreat from the desert state of Rajasthan by September. India's 263 million farmers wait for monsoon rains to plant crops such as rice, cane, corn, cotton and soybean because nearly half of the country's farmland lacks irrigation. Farming output makes up just less than 14 per cent of India`s economy but the sector employs more than half of the country`s 1.3 billion population. "It's really early to talk about the pattern that this year`s monsoon will follow, but we do know that practically no one is predicting a strong El Nino," K.J. Ramesh, director general of the state-run India Meteorological Department, told Reuters. Plentiful monsoon rains could lift agricultural and wider economic growth and keep food prices and overall inflation subdued. That could also add to pressure on India`s central bank to cut interest rates. On the downside, higher production could mean farmers continue to get hit by low crop prices, a major cause for concern in rural India in the past two years. A strong El Nino, marked by a warming of the sea surface on the Pacific Ocean, can cause severe drought in Australia, Southeast Asia and India, while drenching other parts of the world such as the U.S. Midwest and Brazil in rains. The emergence of a strong El Nino triggered back-to-back droughts in 2014 and 2015, only for the fourth time in over a century, driving some Indian farmers to penury and suicide. The India Meteorological Department defines average, or normal, rainfall as between 96 percent and 104 percent of a 50-year average of 89 cm for the entire four-month season beginning in June. In 2017 and 2018, rainfall was 9 per cent and 91 per cent of the long-term average respectively. The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) phenomenon could also be a positive development, said Ramesh. The IOD phenomenon is characterised by higher sea-surface temperatures in the Indian Ocean. A positive IOD creates a barrier in the eastern Indian Ocean and all the southwesterly winds blow towards the Indian sub-continent, causing rains in the country. Weather officials say a positive IOD played a big role in bringing adequate rains to India in 1967, 1977, 1997 and 2006. The India Meteorological Department is likely to make its first official forecast of this year`s monsoon rains by the middle of April.

India's monsoon should be robust provided no El Nino surprise: Meteorological Department

There is a 75 to 80 per cent chance of a moderate El Nino event forming in the next three months, possibly impacting weather patterns in several regions, the UN said Tuesday.&nbsp;

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) noted that the impending El Nino is not expected to be as powerful as the 2015-2016 event that was linked to droughts, floods and coral bleaching.&nbsp;

But, it "can still significantly affect rainfall and temperature patterns in many regions, with important consequences to agricultural and food security sectors... and public health," the head of WMO's climate prediction branch, Maxx Dilley, said in a statement.&nbsp;

"It may combine with long-term climate change to boost 2019 global temperatures," he added.&nbsp;

El Nino is triggered by periodic warming in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It typically emerges every three to seven years.&nbsp;

WMO spokeswoman Clare Nullis was asked to respond to US President Donald Trump's assertion that he doesn't believe his own government's report last week warning of massive economic losses if carbon emissions continue to feed climate change unchecked.

Without criticising Trump directly, Nullis insisted the report's findings could not be casually dismissed.&nbsp;

"It's a federally mandated report and it's 13 agencies. It's hundreds of scientists so it's not just a couple of scientists seating in a back room somewhere with a computer. It's a very detailed assessment based on the best available science," she told reporters in Geneva.&nbsp;

The report by the National Climate Assessment said there will be hundreds of billions of dollars in losses by the end of the century due to climate change "without substantial and sustained global mitigation".

There is a 75 to 80 per cent chance of a moderate El Nino event forming in the next three months, possibly impacting weather patterns in several regions, the UN said Tuesday.

There is a 75 to 80 per cent chance of a moderate El Nino event forming in the next three months, possibly impacting weather patterns in several regions, the UN said Tuesday. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) noted that the impending El Nino is not expected to be as powerful as the 2015-2016 event that was linked to droughts, floods and coral bleaching. But, it "can still significantly affect rainfall and temperature patterns in many regions, with important consequences to agricultural and food security sectors... and public health," the head of WMO's climate prediction branch, Maxx Dilley, said in a statement. "It may combine with long-term climate change to boost 2019 global temperatures," he added. El Nino is triggered by periodic warming in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It typically emerges every three to seven years. WMO spokeswoman Clare Nullis was asked to respond to US President Donald Trump's assertion that he doesn't believe his own government's report last week warning of massive economic losses if carbon emissions continue to feed climate change unchecked. Without criticising Trump directly, Nullis insisted the report's findings could not be casually dismissed. "It's a federally mandated report and it's 13 agencies. It's hundreds of scientists so it's not just a couple of scientists seating in a back room somewhere with a computer. It's a very detailed assessment based on the best available science," she told reporters in Geneva. The report by the National Climate Assessment said there will be hundreds of billions of dollars in losses by the end of the century due to climate change "without substantial and sustained global mitigation".

75-80 per cent chance of El Nino in next 3 months: UN

A sharp increase in forest fires stoked record losses in global forest cover equivalent to the area of New Zealand in 2016, a Global Forest Watch report has said.

The alarming pace of destruction of 51% higher than the prior year with a loss of 73.4 million acres (29.7 million hectares), according to data from the University of Maryland&nbsp;was partially due to climate change that has increased the risks and intensity of wildfires by triggering temperature rise and drought in some places, the monitor said yesterday.

The 2015-2016 weather phenomenon El Nino, one of the strongest on record, also played a role, having created particularly dry conditions in the tropics. Many of those tropical areas are not naturally prone to catching fire&nbsp;but vulnerability increased due to poor management and was exacerbated by El Nino.

Deadly blazes in Brazil and Indonesia were among those contributing to the loss. This year, deadly blazes have again devastated regions of Portugal as well as California.

Brazil&#39;s Amazon region lost 9.1 million acres of tree cover more than three times that of 2015. And Portugal saw some 4% of its forests go up in smoke in 2016, the highest proportion of any other country.

Nearly half of all forests burned in the European Union in 2016 were in Portugal, where fire-prone eucalyptus and pine plantations along with poor soil encouraged the deadly flames.

The country is set to break the record for destroyed forests in 2017, with recent disasters killing dozens of people.

Early 2016 saw one of the largest fires ever recorded in Central Africa, destroying 37,000 acres of forest in the Republic of Congo.

Last year&#39;s Fort McMurray fire in Canada ravaged more than 1.5 million acres, causing $8.8 billion in damage.

Deforestation resulting from agriculture, logging and mining also contributed to the losses.

The report urged improving fire and forest management, including early warning systems, fire bans during dry seasons and more augmented investment in forest protection and restoration.

A sharp increase in forest fires stoked record losses in global forest cover equivalent to the area of New Zealand in 2016

A sharp increase in forest fires stoked record losses in global forest cover equivalent to the area of New Zealand in 2016, a Global Forest Watch report has said. The alarming pace of destruction of 51% higher than the prior year with a loss of 73.4 million acres (29.7 million hectares), according to data from the University of Maryland was partially due to climate change that has increased the risks and intensity of wildfires by triggering temperature rise and drought in some places, the monitor said yesterday. The 2015-2016 weather phenomenon El Nino, one of the strongest on record, also played a role, having created particularly dry conditions in the tropics. Many of those tropical areas are not naturally prone to catching fire but vulnerability increased due to poor management and was exacerbated by El Nino. Deadly blazes in Brazil and Indonesia were among those contributing to the loss. This year, deadly blazes have again devastated regions of Portugal as well as California. Brazil's Amazon region lost 9.1 million acres of tree cover more than three times that of 2015. And Portugal saw some 4% of its forests go up in smoke in 2016, the highest proportion of any other country. Nearly half of all forests burned in the European Union in 2016 were in Portugal, where fire-prone eucalyptus and pine plantations along with poor soil encouraged the deadly flames. The country is set to break the record for destroyed forests in 2017, with recent disasters killing dozens of people. Early 2016 saw one of the largest fires ever recorded in Central Africa, destroying 37,000 acres of forest in the Republic of Congo. Last year's Fort McMurray fire in Canada ravaged more than 1.5 million acres, causing $8.8 billion in damage. Deforestation resulting from agriculture, logging and mining also contributed to the losses. The report urged improving fire and forest management, including early warning systems, fire bans during dry seasons and more augmented investment in forest protection and restoration.

Forest fires contributed to record global tree cover loss: Report

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Monsoon in India should be robust provided no El Nino surprise: Meteorological Department

India's monsoon should be robust provided no El Nino surprise: Meteorological Department

75-80 per cent chance of El Nino in next 3 months: UN

Forest fires contributed to record global tree cover loss: Report